7 Best Medical Schools in New York

Posted on by

New York State is not just home to the famous New York City, it is also home to 19 million residents, making it the fourth most populated state in the US. Two thirds of New York’s population is concentrated in the New York Metropolitan area, with a lot of demand for medical care. However, the state’s more rural areas are also notable for medical centers and schools.

Studying medicine in New York can vary from the highly metropolitan fast-paced world of Manhattan to other cities such as Albany, to the rural communities. It’s a great mix of opportunities and home to some of the best medical schools in the US.

Here are the top medical schools in New York State.

Best Medical Schools in New York

1. Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

  • Website
  • Admissions
  • Admission Stats:
    • Average GPA: 3.87
    • Average MCAT: 519
    • Acceptance Rates: 4%

Established as far back as 1767, the medical school of Columbia University is located at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. It has an affiliated hospital, New York-Presbyterian Hospital. This was the very first medical school in the British colonies to award an MD degree. Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons is the best medical school in New York, while its affiliated hospital is the 5th best hospital in the US according to US News & World Report.

The curriculum is designed so that, from the third year, students can explore their own interests through electives and a scholarly project which is mandatory for everyone. Moreover, the third year is when you have the opportunity to enroll in a dual degree or opt for a fifth year of research once you have obtained the MD degree. Columbia were innovators in designing the curriculum so that the pre-clinical phase was reduced to 18 months, followed by a 12-month period called the Major Clinical Year, when students undertake clerkships in major clinical areas. There are four overall threads running through the curriculum, which you can opt into: biomedical informatics, medical decision-making, public health, and systems, leadership, integration and management.

2. Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences

  • Website
  • Admissions
  • Admission Stats:
    • Average GPA: 3.87
    • Average MCAT: 519
    • Acceptance Rates: 1.76%

Formerly known as Cornell University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine was founded in 1952 as part of Cornell University and is based in New York City. Along with Rockefeller University and the Sloan Kettering Institute, it is involved in the Tri-Institutional MD-PhD program, where each of the three institutions is actually part of a large biomedical center in the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

York Avenue, where Weill Cornell is based, is known as the “corridor of science” in New York City, and is where partnerships exist between the medical school and s number of research centers and hospitals such as the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

The small classes of 106 students accepted every year enjoy an innovative curriculum and the opportunity for various dual degrees and further education. Beyond the excellent reputation and state-of-the-art facilities, Weill Cornell Medical School also offers attractive global opportunities through international placements and initiatives.

3. Albany Medical College

  • Website
  • Admissions
  • Admission Stats:
    • Average GPA: 3.6
    • Average MCAT: 510
    • Acceptance Rates: 3%

Located in the state capital, Albany Medical College is a relatively small institution by comparison to Columbia and Cornell. However, it’s been around since 1839 and forms part of Albany Medical Center, forming also part of the entities of Union University together with law schools, nursing schools etc.

Albany Medical College is one of the top medical schools in New York and counts two Nobel Prize winners among its faculty and multiple prestigious awards and fellowships recipients, either as current faculty members or alumni or researchers. It offers multiple tracks towards the MD degree, depending on the areas you wish to focus on.

4. New York University Grossman School of Medicine

  • Website
  • Admissions
  • Admission Stats:
    • Average GPA: 3.9
    • Average MCAT: 520
    • Acceptance Rates: 1.3%

NYU Grossman School of Medicine boasts 220 laboratories dedicated to biomedical research and has been ranked 4th in the US for research. Therefore, the main attraction of this medical school is for students who want to dedicate their studies to specific research and who wish to have further research opportunities to take advantage of after obtaining their MD degree. Another notable fact about this medical school is that they will offer every student accepted in the MD program full-tuition scholarships if they require them. Along with the traditional four-year MD program, they offer an accelerated three-year program, dual degrees and a five-year pathway to the MD, offering lots of flexibility for their students.

NYU Grossman School of Medicine is committed to diversity and innovation. This is why they offer scholarships to enable students from any background to focus on the course of study they are most passionate about, ultimately enabling them to make a difference in healthcare.

5. University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

  • Website
  • Admissions
  • Admission Stats:
    • Average GPA: 3.79
    • Average MCAT: 515
    • Acceptance Rates: 4%

Next in our list of best medical schools in New York is the University of Rochester. This medical school offers MD students a Double Helix curriculum whereby they can have early clinical experiences and a revolutionary biopsychosocial model – aiming to develop not just doctors who discover diseases, but the complete person.

Their approach is therefore quite unique and this has led to them being referred to as the “liberal arts school of medicine” – i.e. focusing on humanities and research at the same time, in a small, collaborative community environment.

At Rochester, there are multiple opportunities to become involved in the community within as well as outside of the clinical experiences, by taking part in student outreach efforts such as “UR Well Clinics” where students work with homeless or uninsured patients.

6. Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine

  • Website
  • Admissions
  • Admission Stats:
    • Average GPA: 3.8
    • Average MCAT: 514
    • Acceptance Rates: 7%

Founded in 1971, the Renaissance School of Medicine is located in Long Island and consistently scoring highly on all reviews of New York state public medical schools. It is part of Stony Brook Medicine healthcare system, a network of five health sciences schools and the Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital, Stony Brook Children’s Hospital and more than 200 community-based healthcare settings throughout Suffolk County.

It has a significant focus on research as well. Its name dates back to 2018, when the Stony Brook University School of Medicine was renamed to reflect having received over $500 million in donations from employees of Renaissance Technologies, a hedge fund located in the area.

7. State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University

  • Website
  • Admissions
  • Admission Stats:
    • Average GPA: 3.78
    • Average MCAT: 514
    • Acceptance Rates: 14%

We end our list of best medical schools in New York is the State University of New York (SUNY). This university has multiple university campuses, including Upstate, Downstate and the Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. SUNY Downstate Medical School is the more selective of the three.

This is the only academic medical center dedicated to the residents of Brooklyn, which is estimated to be large enough to be the 4th largest city in the US if it was an independent city in its own right. This places great pressure on SUNY Downstate Medical Center to cater to the health needs of the population it serves.

The university is affiliated with the University Hospital of Brooklyn. The College of Medicine was founded 160 years ago and offers an integrated pathways curriculum. This means clinical and basic science is integrated throughout the four years of the MD program, while the principles of collaboration and relevance are at the heart of all coursework and clinical training.

 

I hope that this article was helpful. If you are interested, visit the USA Scholarships Page!